Stories from 27 August 2007
New Arab-American Paper Launched
A new Arab-American newspaper has just been launched in the US, reports Will, from Palestinian blog Kabobfest.
Arabeyes: Just a Pretty Face
Miss South Carolina's response in the Miss USA Pageant to a question on why a fifth of US students couldn't locate their country on the map was the butt of jokes on Middle Eastern blogs today. Here's a quick review of what some bloggers had to say about her ramblings.
Greece: On Fire
We've probably all heard it in the news by now: Greece is ablaze. Today the fires reached the ancient city of Olympia, the birthplace of the Olympics and home of...
Uganda: Bloggers Respond to Controversial Daily Monitor Articles
Uganda’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) community has gotten a lot of press recently in the form of a number of articles written by Katherine Roubos, a 22-year-old Stanford student from the United States. Most recently, Roubos covered the first ever LGBTI press conference, a story that prompted an anti-gay rally in Kampala.
Soviet Union: Female Beauty and Feminism
Natalia Antonova writes about “the Soviet Syndrome” that some of today's feminists seem to be afflicted with.
Croatia: Gračac
Balkan Anarchist writes about his familial ties to and the recent history of Gračac, “a town and municipality located in the south of Lika,” which, before the war, had “a...
Russia: Krasnodar's “Exclusive” Neighborhood
Inside Krasnodar writes about an area that's “quickly becoming Krasnodar’s most exclusive residential neighborhood.”
Russia: Panyushkin's Detention
Robert Amsterdam writes about a recent detention of journalist Valery Panyushkin under Russia's extremism law.
Russia: Arrests in Politkovskaya's Murder Case
Ten unnamed people have been arrested in connection with last year's slaying of journalist Anna Politkovskaya. Sean's Russia Blog writes that she “as ‘political football’ has been dusted off and...
Albania: Selling Arms to Armenia
Albania is selling arms to Armenia – and more links to media coverage of Albania – at Our Man in Tirana.
UK, Caribbean: Colours of Notting Hill Carnival
Notting Hill Carnival, Europe's largest summer festival, is a celebration of both Caribbean culture and London's multicultural heritage. Images posted by various Flickr users give glimpses of the carnival's colours and faces.
Iran:”Pray that Ahmadinejad Dies”
Hamed Talebi in his blog,Moslem Reporter, writes[Fa] that Ghodratollah Alikhani, a deputy in Iranian Parliament, told people in a village that “Pray God that Ahmadinejad (Iranian president) dies, then your...
Syria: How Can Expats Help?
This month's topic of Creative Syria's Blogger Forum was solely dedicated to the Syrian expatriate community. "What role could expatriates play in building a better Syria? Are you satisfied with the government legislations concerning them? Are you satisfied with the performance of the Minister of Expatriates' Affairs Dr. Buthayna Shaaban?" were the questions waiting to be answered. Syria's expatriate community, albeit dispersed, counts for almost 16 million, with a very high percentage of highly educated individuals. This makes the topic ever more relevant, as their contributions can help speed up the social and economic changes in the country and help rebuild it, writes Yazan Badran.
Iran:Economic problems
Alireza Shirazi says[Fa] Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won presidential election thanks to his economic promises but in the last two years, inflation and economic crisis have made life very difficult for many...
Bahrain: Getting Into Gear and Going All the Way…
Our topics range from the highbrow to the lowlife this week, with an exhortation to read more books from across the Arab world, a child’s misunderstanding of a word in a cartoon, and an encounter with a prostitute. A new blogger has just arrived in Bahrain, and another blogger has just returned from a holiday in Iran – where he experienced rather more than he had bargained on during a taxi ride... Read Ayesha Saldanha's take on Bahraini blogs for more.
Madagascar: Malagasy travellers encouraged to blog their stories.
Tattum explains that madonline started a new project that strives to promote blogging activities in Madagascar. The project will initially focus on asking bloggers to tell stories of their travels...
Papua New Guinea: AIDS patients buried alive.
Caledosphere links to an article in which people living with AIDS in Papua New Guinea (New Caledonia's neighboring country) were buried alive by their relatives because they could not afford...
India: On Conferences
Atanu Dey ends up reflecting on IT conferences after attending World Information Technology Forum 2007 as a speaker.
Pakistan: The Supreme Court
Metroblogging Islamabad on the role of the Supreme Court in politics and the implications.
Pakistan: Karachi and Liveability
All Things Pakistan on The Economist's Global Liveability Index, where Karachi finds itself ranked amongst the least liveable cities.
India: Blasts in Hyderabad
The bomb blasts in Hyderabad provoke Thought Process to write about the city and the tragedy.
